


Rhythm of a Soul

by TheSoulReader



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bottom Eren Yeager, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Eren's a nosy fuck, Eren's the biggest idiot, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Genderfluid Hanji, Hidden Talents, M/M, Singer!Levi, Slow Build, Top Eren Yeager, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Totally spelling his name Jaeger because it's fucking better, ereri, mikasa and levi are cousins, riren - Freeform, that's nothing new, these boys are idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-07-12 04:23:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7085542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoulReader/pseuds/TheSoulReader
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Music is a funny thing.  It unites people in unexpected ways, heals wounds, and forges lasting bonds.</p><p>When Eren Jaeger stumbles upon a foul tempered stranger singing in the band room his world is turned upside-down and inside out.  His heart begins to beat to the metronome of love and he learns the rhythm of a soul other than his own.</p><p>AKA The hidden talent AU nobody fucking asked for</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Standards

**Author's Note:**

> Same thing that happens with all of my stories. Had an idea banging around, wouldn't go away, so out it comes.
> 
> Shift, Chains, and The Grow Up Game (Soul Eater fanfics) will be finished this week. Rain (my first SNK fic) will be updated this week as well. It will be a considerably heavier story so I've just been letting it sit while I deal with the others.
> 
> As always, comments and general feedback are appreciated. Nothing about this story is planned (my stories never are), so I'll be posting when I'm in the mood to write. Updates can come rapid fire and then there may be a dry spell for a couple of months. I never know.
> 
> Hopefully you'll enjoy this story enough to subscribe.

Eren strolled down the halls of Trost High, guitar case hanging loosely on his back.  The day had been killer with two tests (chemistry and math, both of which had kicked his ass) and a surprise essay write up in Ms. Brzsenska’s language arts class.  He was mentally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to chill in the band room for a while with just the six strings of his guitar to soothe him.

When he rounded the corner and made to open the double doors of the classroom, an unfamiliar voice wafted to his ears.  It was deep and rich, tinged with a surprising sadness, but at the same time the resounding fullness resonated in Eren’s chest.

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.  Fish are jumpin’, and the cotton is high…”

That was a jazz standard.  Billie Holiday had made it famous with her smooth voice and easy swing.  It was a notable piece for female jazz singers to perform.  But the voice Eren heard was decidedly male, the tone round and subdued, and he felt the hair on his nape stand up.  There was no track backing the singer, just his voice, ethereal and lazy, echoing in the empty music hall.

Russet hair was tossed out of his eyes as he cautiously set down his guitar and peeked through the second set of double doors, eager to see where the velvety sound originated from.  A gasp caught in his throat when his eyes fell upon the culprit.  He was small in stature but well-muscled with hair of ink that was styled in an undercut.  The fringe near his forehead fell over closed eyes and surprisingly delicate hands were curled into fists, thin lips shaping words that were decades old.

“Your daddy’s rich, and your mama’s good looking.  So hush, little baby.  Don’t you cry…”

Eren gaped, gemstone eyes glittering and going wide as the stranger’s voice rose and fell like the ocean tide.  His heart clenched in his chest as he desperately hoped the raven would continue.  He probably would have had the brunette not leaned so far forward and yelped as he fell flat on his face.

“Ow!  Son of a _bitch!”_

The smaller male whipped his head towards the intruder, his expression a bored mask, though his eyes (a striking silver, Eren noted) were hard and unwelcoming.

“Oh, Christ! I’m so sorry!  I didn’t mean to intrude, I…”

“And yet, here you are,” the raven rumbled.  His speaking voice was almost comically deep considering his size.  The tone with which he addressed the brunette was as cold as his eyes.

“Please, don’t stop on my account!”

But the other was already moving, his motions deliberate and precise as he snatched his leather jacket from a chair.  He clearly had no intention of hanging around, much to Eren’s chagrin.  As the stranger made to brush by the taller boy, a tan hand reached out to alight on his shoulder.  A vicious glare caused it to be immediately retracted.

Green eyes briefly met grey before they were averted and Eren whispered, “You have a beautiful voice.”

The smaller male stared for a brief moment before shaking his head and growling, “What the fuck would a shitty brat like you know about music?”

And then he was gone.


	2. Etta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's so dumb and earnest and I love him.
> 
> But not as much as I love Levi being a bitch.

For the next week Eren headed to the band room every day after last bell.  The mysterious stranger failed to show his face again.  He never saw the other boy around school, but figured that maybe their schedules were just too different.  It shouldn’t have mattered to him as much as it did.  The smaller male was just another student, after all.  But those eyes, and that voice.  That voice haunted him.

Friday afternoon the brunette slipped into the music hall in time to see the band teacher, Mr. Smith, vacating for the weekend.  He offered a smile and a wave, the tall blonde doing the same.

“Eren!  You here to practice for the next jazz band competition, or just to blow off some steam?”

“A little of both, sir.”

The elder nodded as he headed towards the door, offering another cursory wave. 

“Just close the doors when you go, then.  They’re already locked.”

“Yes, sir!  Thank you!”

The exit of the back door clicked and Eren gathered his backpack and guitar, setting them on a nearby chair before he took up residence behind the old drum set that resided in the hall.  It wasn’t fancy, and it often had bits and pieces from his own home set attached to it, but it got the job done when he needed it to.

He pulled out his iPod and inserted the earbuds, scrolling through his play list before settling on The Presidents of the USA.  It was a Lump kind of day.  As the intro of the song began to play he snatched up the pair of drumsticks that had been left behind on the snare and tapped out a steady beat before he set the sticks to the skins.  The rhythm drove him and he easily created his own fills, following the tempo meticulously, even in spite of the competing drummer in his ear.

As the lanky boy flailed about, wood spanning over plastic and synthetics, he failed to notice eyes of molten mercury watching him.  His feet pounded a rhythm on the bass drum and cymbals crashed in intricate patterns, and those eyes never left him.  When the song ended, Eren was breathing heavy and ragged, and this time it was his turn to be startled.

He immediately jumped up with an eager cry of, “It’s you! AH, SHIT!”

As quickly as he had stood he was on his back on the ground, the cord of his earphones having gotten caught over the rim of the snare drum.  He sorted himself with a ridiculous amount of effort, brown mop appearing over the edge of the drum set, pleasantly surprised to realize that his company had not left.  Silver hues just continued to stare, silent and judgmental.

“You’re kind of an idiot, aren’t you?”

Eren barked out a laugh, hand rushing to his temple to rub at it.  He couldn’t really argue against the other boy’s observation.

“I’m kind of a klutz, yeah…”

The raven hummed absently before turning to leave the room.

“Hey, wait!  Don’t go!”

That didn’t help any.  He was still walking.  So Eren did the only thing he could think of.

“Billie or Ella!?” he called out.

That caught the apparition’s attention.

“Excuse me?”

“The other day, when I saw you…you were singing Summertime.  Do you prefer Billie or Ella?”

The smaller of the pair leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms, seemingly considering the boy before him before he clicked his tongue and said, “Ella.”

“Me too!” the brunette chittered excitedly.

An inky eyebrow raised before he narrowed his eyes again.

“Why?”

The brunette had his attention.  Now all he had to do was keep it.  He walked forward a little, cautious, as if he were approaching a wounded animal.

“Billie’s great, don’t get me wrong.  She made the song a standard.  But Ella…she made it a classic.  Lays it way back, really puts it in the pocket, y’know?”

A pointed chin tipped slightly upwards in acknowledgement before the boy was pushing away from the door and walking back into the interior of the classroom.  The tall boy inwardly jumped up and down, realizing he’d passed some sort of test.

“My name’s Eren!” he blurted, merry and welcoming as he was wont to be.

“I didn’t ask and I don’t care.  You gonna keep banging on those shitty drums?”

Eren shook his head sharply before offering a verbal response, “No!  Not if you’d rather…”

“I’m not gonna sing for you if that’s what you’re hoping for, you shitty brat.  I’m not a damn canary.”

The brunette blinked and then laughed again.  This kid had no filter, just like him, only when he spoke it came out harsh and angry.  Something about that was endearing rather than offensive, and he found he liked it.

“What’s your name?”

“Nothing you need to know,” came the clipped response.  The raven was trying to ignore the brunette, digging through his backpack in search of something.  But Eren made being ignored impossible.

“Awww, come on!  I’ll let you look through my CD collection.  I’ve got some great Etta James stuff in here!” Eren patted his backpack, a grin lighting up his face.

The mystery male hesitated for a moment, eyes flitting from Eren to his backpack and back again.  He was clearly calculating, trying to decide if the other boy was worth the trouble.

Finally, he made a choice, his voice abrupt as he said, “Levi.”

Eren smiled and held out his pack for the newly named boy to rifle through.  He didn’t bother with any further friendliness as it didn’t seem particularly welcome.  Though the flash in those grey orbs when he found a section in the large case dedicated entirely to jazz told him all he needed to know.

“You wanna listen to any?” Eren asked, hopeful.

“Do you ever stop talking?” Levi snapped back.

Eren placed a finger on his chin and tilted his head as his eyes rolled towards the ceiling in thought.  He hummed for a minute and then shook his head before he said, “Not often, no.  I just kinda say what’s on my mind.”

Levi’s deadpan stare nearly knocked him over.

“What?”

“You…you have no idea what a rhetorical question is, do you?”

“Uh…in principle, or in practice?”

“Oh my fucking god,” Levi groaned, hand covering his eyes.  He couldn't believe this kid.

The brunette watched as Levi snatched a CD from its sleeve and marched over to the CD player to insert it.  Eren knew then that Levi had no plans to leave him at that point in time.  Levi didn’t know that his actions would glue Eren to his side permanently.


	3. Repeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Mikasa meet. *manical laughter*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this way too much

It took three weeks for Eren to finally cave to his curiosity.  Three weeks into a tentative friendship with a short tempered, short statured boy with perpetual bitch face.  Three weeks to brave the potential tempest that was constantly brewing in his companion.

But Eren just couldn’t help himself.

They were lounging together in the band room as they did at least three times a week, They Might Be Giants wafting through the room as their music of choice for the afternoon.  Levi sung quietly to “I Palindrome I”, lazily draped over a couple of chairs while Eren tapped out a beat on the soles of his shoes with a pair of drumsticks.  They were surprisingly at ease with each other already, but Eren didn’t dare comment on it.

No.  Instead he asked, “Why don’t I ever see you around school?”

Levi only shrugged before stating casually, “Because I don’t go to school here.”

The brunette paused in his drumming, eyes widening at the raven’s confession.

“What do you mean you don’t go to school here?”

“Uh, I mean that I obtain my education elsewhere, you shitty brat.”

Eren’s brows furrowed, not quite following Levi’s statement.

“How do you get in here, then?” he followed up, continuing to frown.

Levi’s eye roll was so dramatic it was amazing his eyeballs didn’t leave his head.

“I open a fucking door, moron!  Christ, I’m 17 years old.  This school is huge!  There’s no way any one staff member knows every single student.  It’s not hard!”

“Alright, alright!  Geez!” the taller boy muttered.

There was a beat of silence as the CD in the stereo switched to the next song and “Meet James Ensor” filled the empty space.  Eren’s voice followed shortly after.

“Sooooo, why do you come here?  I mean, your school has to have its own band room, ne?”

Levi stared at the brunette pointedly.  His entire demeanor reeked of disinterest and annoyance.  But that was nothing new for the raven, and Eren was undeterred.  He returned the gaze easily, refusing to back down.  Of course, Levi caved, because only three weeks into their friendship he could not deny the boy with the opalescent green eyes.

Levi sighed, clearly exasperated, drawing a hand over his face in irritation as he groused, “Don’t you ever just want to be alone, Eren?  To escape for a little while?”

Eren gestured to himself broadly, looking at Levi as if he was the idiot for a change.

“Ugh, fuck.  No, of course you don’t.  You never want to be alone.  The boy with a million fucking friends.  Jesus fuck.”

The lanky boy only grinned, tapping the raven on the thigh with the head of his drumstick.

“You’re one of ‘em now, Eve.”

“What the ever loving fuck?  Do I look like a girl to you!”

Eren’s grin only broadened as he snickered, “No, but you’re a pretty huge douche.”

“I hate you,” the raven responded flatly.  “I really, really do.”

“Nawww!  You think that I—“

“Hey, Eren, you in there?” a feminine voice called out.

“Yeah, in here, Ika!”

A young woman with ebony hair entered through the double doors, backpack slung over a shoulder.  She blew her bangs out of her eyes, announcing that she had been looking all over the damn school for the brunette when her grey gaze settled on the leather clad male in a nearby chair.

Levi had gone rigid, sitting bolt upright in his seat.  His own eyes narrowed dangerously, never leaving the female that had interrupted.  And then all at once they both exploded.

“What’s he/she doing here!”

“Stop that!”

“No, you stop it!”

“I was talking first!”

Eren’s eyes went comically wide as the two spat at each other like angry alley cats.  The tandem shrieking would have been hysterical if he hadn’t been in fear for his life.

“Uhhhh, you two know each other?” he questioned feebly.

“Meep is my cousin,” Levi growled.

“Meep?” Eren turned to her, that sickeningly sweet smile returning to his face.

“Don’t you _dare,_ you rotten little garden gnome!” Mikasa pointed a painted fingernail at Levi.  “I will gut you like a tuna!”

The smaller male merely crossed his arms, a crooked smile quirking his lips up.  The threat meant nothing to him.

“When she was little she couldn’t say her own name.  Called herself “Meepasa.”  And then she went through a Muppets phase where Beaker was her favorite character.  It stuck.”

“HA!” the brunette barked out a laugh.

“You shut up, or I’ll tell him about horse camp!”

Eren promptly shut his pie hole.

“How did you not know we were related!?” Mikasa seethed.  “His last name is Ackerman!”

“Is it?” Eren tilted his head, considering.  “It never actually came up.”

“His _name_ never came up!?”

The green eyed boy frowned again and shook his head.

“His name is Levi.”

“You’re an idiot!” came the synchronized admonishment.

“Christ, you really are related.  Friggin’ creepy.”

A sudden light came to Levi’s eyes as he turned to look at Eren again.

“Wait a minute…this is your sister? _This_ is Ika!?”

“Well…yeah.  I told you that my parents took in my best friend after her parents died.”

“Levi’s mother and mine were sisters,” Mikasa said sagely.  “How is your mom, anyway?”

“Dead, just like yours,” the shorter deadpanned.

Eren and Mikasa both flinched, Levi’s tone bordering on frigid.  But the slight sag in his body told a different story.

“I’m…Viel, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t.  It doesn’t matter.”

“When?”

“Last summer,” Levi breathed.  There was a brief flash of…something…before his eyes hardened again.  It was an expression that warned off any further inquiry.

“Who are you living with?” Mikasa questioned cautiously.

“Uncle Kenny.”

The ravenette swallowed before responding with a quiet, “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” Levi whispered.  “Look, Eren, it’s been fun, but I gotta get home.  I’ll see you around.  Later…Meep.”

And then, as Levi was wont to do, he simply disappeared.


	4. Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nile makes an appearance.
> 
> He's gross.
> 
> I also just made shit really difficult for myself by adding an unexpected plot point.
> 
> Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo, I'm totes gonna need people that speak fluent Japanese, Korean, and French to help me out in later chapters. If you speak one or more of these languages, please hit me up.

Mikasa and Eren were sprawled out on their living room floor, a bag of pretzels and a bowl of popcorn available for munching as they completed their homework.  Eren had the RENT soundtrack playing softly in the background as he found it impossible to study without music of some sort.  He felt lucky that his sister didn’t mind.  He was considering taking a study break before he started on his chemistry assignment (WHY GOD, WHY!?) when Mikasa interrupted his thoughts.

“How did you meet Viel?”

“Eh?”

“Vi…Levi.  How did you meet Levi?”

“Oh!  I went to the band room after school a couple weeks ago, wanted to blow off some steam with my guitar.  He was there.”

“What was he doing there?”

Eren considered answering honestly, more because he was a terrible liar than anything.  But when he considered the look on Levi’s face when he had been caught singing, he thought better of it.  True enough, the raven had been angry, but there had been something else in those stormy eyes.  Something that was quiet and meek.  Levi’s singing was a secret…and Eren was going to help keep it.

“Nothing illegal,” he replied with a shrug.  It wasn’t the truth per se, but it could not definitively be called a lie, either.

Mikasa squinted at him, clearly skeptical.

“Why are you so concerned about it?” he frowned.  “And why do you keep calling him Viel?”

Wrinkling her nose, Mikasa said, “Because his real name is Viel.  You butcher the pronunciation, by the way.”

“Why does he go by Levi if Vi…if the other one is his real name?”

“The other kids could never pronounce it,” Mikasa shrugged.  “They always called him “veal”.  Ended up in a lot of fights until his mother finally agreed to let other kids call him Levi.”

“It is a strange name,” Eren commented offhandedly.

“It’s French.  Our mothers were Japanese, but Viel’s stepdad is French-Korean.”

“Duuuuuude…”

“I know, right?  He speaks four languages.”

“Wha?!  I can barely manage English!”

“Ugh, don’t I know it.  Baka.”

“Hey!  I know that one!  You’ve already called me an idiot once today, that’s not fair!”

Mikasa stuck her tongue out at him.

“Four languages, huh?”

“Yeah.  It made family gatherings interesting.  He liked to pick a single language to speak for the entire get together and refuse to use any other.  It was basically guaranteed that at least two people in attendance wouldn’t understand him, because he _never_ chose English.  Our mothers spoke Japanese, but neither of our fathers did.  Aunt Kuchel spoke a little French, but no Korean.  Levi surpassed her French by the time he was four.”

“Is he some sort of genius?”

“Nah, just likes language.”

“You ever learn anything beyond English and Japanese?”

“I understand enough French to know when my cousin is being a dick.”

“Isn’t that basically _all_ the time?  Like, I’ve only known him for a month and I don’t need to know any other languages to get when he’s being an asshat.”

Mikasa outright laughed at Eren’s statement, nodding her head.

“That’s Viel.”

“I call him Eve.”

“Because he’s such a douche, right?”

An automatic high five followed.

“God, that’s brilliant!” she huffed.  “Wish I had thought of it.”

“Did you just call me brilliant, Ika-chu?”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

Eren only laughed.

“I like him, Ika.  He’s…I dunno.  I like hanging out with him, though.”

Mikasa frowned at that, though it was borne of concern, not disdain.

“Be careful around him, Eren.  He’s not…he’s…”

“He’s not a bad person, Ika,” Eren said defensively.

“I’m not saying _he_  is, but he knows bad people.  Just be careful, ok?”

Eren hummed, nodding his head absently.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

* * *

 

Across town, Levi was slowly making his way home.  Really, he should have been home about three hours ago, but chances were that Kenny was on another bender, and he wanted no part of that mess.  The man was actually very kind when he was sober.  Unfortunately, that was a rare state of being for him.

And so Levi had found his way to the park.  He lived in a rundown part of town, the park being equally so, but that also meant it was often deserted.  It was a safe haven for him, a place where he could sit with his thoughts and sing to himself, and pretend the world was beautiful instead of the giant shit pile he knew it to be.

Taking a seat on a vacant swing, he rocked himself back and forth, staring into the night sky.  The light pollution made it impossible to see stars, but he could still see the moon.  It glowed above him, ethereal and bright, comfortably hanging in its place in the sky.  He envied it.  Envied that the moon had more of a place in the world than he did.

He snorted derisively, annoyed to have entertained such a ridiculous sentiment, but he couldn’t help himself.  Couldn’t help but to feel empty.

“And now I’m all alone again.  Nowhere to go, no one to turn to,” he sang softly to himself.  A low lullaby just for him. “I did not want your money sir. I came out here ‘cause I was told to.  And now the night is near, and I can make believe she’s…here.”

His voice broke on the last syllable, but he didn’t cry.  He never cried.  He wouldn’t have had the chance anyway because there was someone nearby.  He felt their presence more than heard them, and he didn’t like it, hand immediately slipping into his jacket pocket to wrap around his switchblade.

“Oi! Who’s there?” he called into the dark.

“Ahh, hey there Songbird.  Caught me again,” a sniveling voice replied to Levi’s query.

Levi’s lip curled up into a disgusted sneer, fingers relaxing in his pocket.

“Ugh, just a common snake.  The fuck ya want, Nile?”

Emerging from the shadowed shrubbery, Nile Dok slithered into the moonlight.  His hair looked exceptionally greasy beneath its glow, his facial hair wispy and pathetic, much like the man himself.  Levi did well to hold his tongue on the matter.

“Is that any way to treat an old friend, Songbird?”

“Don’t call me that. And when were we ever friends?”

Nile only shrugged his narrow shoulders, offering a slimy grin as he sauntered closer.

“I need you to filch something for me.”

“You know I don’t do that anymore.”

“Come on, Songbird!  Good pay.”

“A 40 is not “good pay”.  You know what else ain’t good pay?  A bullet in the back.”

“Nahhhh, nahhhhh, you got it all wrong!  ‘S nothin’ so high value as to cost you your life.  Hell, it’s even easy access!  Your uncle has it!”

Those words had Levi up and moving.  Nope.  All the no.  It was bad enough stealing from stores, but stealing from his uncle?  The hell it wouldn’t cost him his life.

“Bye, Nile.”

That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t.  Nile followed him down the street, hounding him to do “one last job.”  But it was never just one job with the scumbag.  One job bled into another, and his shit choices had cost his mother her life.

“Look, kid, I _need_ you to do this job for me.”

“Shit on a stick, what do you need _me_ for!?  You know everybody from the Underground!  My skills ain’t that great!”

The lie tasted bitter on his tongue.  He didn’t even know why he said it.  Nile knew as well as he did that he was the best thief in the city.  But he’d made a promise to his mother, and he was going to keep it.

“Fuck off, shitrat.  Don’t let me see your face again, or I swear I will turn you inside out.”

And Levi kept walking, leaving Nile slack-jawed on the sidewalk as he melted into the pitch of the night.

 


End file.
